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Larry Nadle

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Larry Nadle in the 1950s

Lawrence Malcolm Nadle (September 29, 1913 in Manhattan[1] - December 26, 1963)[2] (sometimes credited as Larry Nadel)[3] was a comic book editor and writer who was known for his work for DC Comics' romance comics, celebrity comics,[2] and other humor-centric titles.[4] Todd Klein has noted that Nadle's career in comics began "around 1943-44", as an editor for All-American Publications.[5] Initially working as assistant for Sheldon Mayer on comic book titles like Mutt & Jeff, Funny Stuff, Funny Folks, and Leave It to Binky, he became one of the two editors for its humor titles along with Bernie Breslauer,[6] he was promoted to full editor on all humor titles in 1949 following Breslauer's illness and remained there until his death in 1963.[7] He also took over the romance books shortly before his death in 1963.[8]

Nadle also wrote scripts for radio and television,[9] and (under the joint pseudonym "Bob Lawrence", which he shared with cartoonist Bob Oksner) produced the comic strip version of the situation comedy I Love Lucy.[10] As well, he served as Robert Lewis May's ghost writer on the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer comic strip,[1] and created the character "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (although, due to Nadle's sudden death, the character went unpublished until Grant Morrison repurposed him in 1992).[11]

Allegations of misconduct

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Fellow editor George Kashdan said that Nadle "paid himself for stories that did not exist", and that prior to audits, Nadle "would take an old script and change the title page to the title of the new story that he bought for himself".[2]

Similarly, artist John Romita alleged that Nadle solicited kickbacks from artists from whom he would then commission stories, in order to pay his gambling debts.[12]

Bob Oksner likewise stated that Nadle solicited kickbacks, and described how, when he was writing and drawing The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, Nadle persuaded him to allow his writing credit (and thus payment) to be transferred to another cartoonist who "was in great debt to DC"; in reality, Nadle was keeping the money, and when this was discovered after Nadle's death, Oksner was nearly fired.[13]

Bob Haney called Nadle "a horse player with a heart problem".[14]

Craig Shutt has noted that Nadle participated in the practice of "redo(ing) stories", whereby a comic would "replicate major plot points or complete storylines [of earlier comics], often using the same scenes if not the exact pacing".[15]

Bibliography

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As editor unless otherwise noted:

DC Comics

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Personal life

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Nadle's brother was cartoonist Martin Naydel, perhaps best known as the creator of the Jumble.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Pens and Nadles: Golden Age Humor-Mongers LARRY & MARTIN NADLE, by Ken Nadle; in Alter Ego #72 (September 2007) (via Issuu)
  2. ^ a b c American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64, by John Wells and Keith Dallas, published February 26, 2013 by TwoMorrows Publishing
  3. ^ DEADMAN VOL. 1, now available, by "DCE Editorial", at DCComics.com; published May 12, 2011; retrieved August 20, 2017
  4. ^ Hero-A-Go-Go: Campy Comic Books, Crimefighters, & Culture of the Swinging Sixties, by Michael Eury, published by TwoMorrows Publishing, April 19, 2017
  5. ^ The DC Comics Offices 1930s-1950s Part 2, by Todd Klein, at KleinLetters.com; published July 9, 2013; retrieved December 3, 2017
  6. ^ Dewally, Michael (May 2009). "re:". Alter Ego #85. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 62.
  7. ^ "DCHISTORY-2". dccomicsartists.com. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  8. ^ "DCHISTORY-3a". dccomicsartists.com. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  9. ^ 'I Love Lucy' Comic Strip Starts Monday, in the Battle Creek Enquirer (Battle Creek, Michigan); published January 2, 1953
  10. ^ Comics Shop, by Maggie Thompson, published September 27, 2010, by Adams Media
  11. ^ Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #8!, by Brian Cronin, at Comic Book Resources; published August 21, 2005; retrieved August 20, 2017
  12. ^ Romita and All That Jazz!, by Roy Thomas, John Romita, and Jim Amash; published 2007 by TwoMorrows Publishing; "There were other editors that expected kickbacks. I never gave an editor a kickback. I did get caught by Larry Nadle, but only for one story, and I like to think he liked me a little bit better than the other guys. Otherwise he would have taken me for more than one story. You know, you'd get a check and then you'd sign a personal check over to him for that amount, and then you owed the company a story. And when he died, I owed them one story, 360 bucks worth. I did the story and I was okay, but there were other guys who were like five and six stories in the hole to him - to the company. Not Larry - he spent the money. He was not only a gambler, he was a liar (...)"
  13. ^ "My Women Had Saturday Night Bodies And Sunday School Faces": Cartoonist Par Excellence BOB OKSNER Drew Angels, Apes - And Everything In Between!, by Jim Amash; in Alter Ego #67 (April 2007) (via Issuu)
  14. ^ Bob Haney Interviewed by Michael Catron Part Two (of Five), at the Comics Journal; published January 6, 2011; retrieved August 20, 2017
  15. ^ Baby Boomer Comics: The Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Comic Books of the 1960s, page 182-183, "Twice-Told Tales", by Craig Shutt; published February 28, 2011, by Krause Publications
  16. ^ MCSNURTLE THE TURTLE: THE TERRIFIC WHATZIT, by Don Markstein, at Don Markstein's Toonopedia; retrieved August 20, 2017
  17. ^ All-Star Companion Volume 1, by Roy Thomas; published June 23, 2004, by TwoMorrows Publishing
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